WORLD CUP: Oranje held by Estonia

It was an uncharacteristic performance from Louis van Gaal’s boys, as they rescued their unbeaten record in World Cup qualifying with an injury-time penalty kick to secure a 2-2 draw with underdogs Estonia.

Amkar Perm attacking midfielder Konstantin Vassiljev struck twice for the home side and looked to have sealed a memorable victory for the Estonians. However, the Dutch have previously won all six of their matches in Group D of the UEFA qualification section, but they had to rely on a controversial Robin van Persie penalty to gain a point.

Dangerman Arjen Robben broke the deadlock with his 19th goal for his country. The Bayern Munich winger curled his effort beyond the reach of goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko from inside the penalty area.

The Oranje lead only lasted 15 minutes as Vassiljev broke through a weak challenge 25 yards from goal and sent a low shot past Swansea ‘keeper Michel Vorm. The Estonian then doubled his and his teams tally with a cute lob just before the hour, as he met a perfect through ball from Joel Lindpere and lifted the ball over Vorm.

However, Manchester United hitman Robin van Persie broke Estonian hearts after winning a penalty from what appeared to be a good challenge from Raio Piiroja. The defender received a second yellow card and RVP converted the spot kick.

Tuesday sees Van Gaal’s side to have the chance to redeem themselves against Andorra, and the Dutch fans will be expecting a much improved performance.